subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Nov 07 2009 

Published: July 04, 2009 11:11 pm    print this story  

Mounds will be fenced off from public

Temporary barriers are now in place

By CARRIE STAMBAUGH - The Independent

ASHLAND The Indian burial mounds at Central Park will be protected.

The City of Ashland committed this week to fencing the prehistoric mounds off after a series of complaints by the Native American community.

The mounds at Central Park, near the bandstand, are on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the registry, the mounds date to the Pre-Columbian Adena culture.

The historic registry lists the mounds as being period significant between 500-999 B.C., 499-0 B.C., 499-0 A.D., 1000-500 A.D. They are not believed to have been excavated and the registry states they have “information potential.” Several of the mounds are believed to have been looted by early treasure hunters.

William Shackleford, executive tribal manager of the Ridgetop Shawnee, said he was pleased with the development of protecting the mounds.

Shackleford said he had received a complaint about the mounds being unprotected at the park and contacted City Manager Steve Corbitt.

He said during that conversation Corbitt agreed to fence off the area and place a marker at the park entrance informing visitors to stay off the mounds.

According to Corbitt, the orange construction fencing currently around the mounds is temporary. He said a permanent decorative fence will be erected in the coming weeks along with a marker explaining the mounds’ significance.

“Ashland has a special gift and these mounds are our ancestor’s graves and we take this very seriously,” said Shackleford by e-mail this week. “So this situation is a very important situation to the Indian People of Kentucky. The City and the Ridgetop Shawnee have pledged to work together to solve these problems, in that regard this is actually a historical moment,” he wrote.

Shackleford, who is also a member of the Kentucky Native American Heritage Commission, stressed he was not acting in that official capacity. He said this year has been momentous for Native Americans in Kentucky.

In addition to being partially recognized by the legislator, Shackleford said there have been other positive changes including the ability of tribes to have their voices heard at high levels of state government.

“The culture is changing in Kentucky,” he said.

A major goal of Native American organizations is to strengthen Kentucky’s grave desecration laws. Legislation has been introduced before the General Assembly for nearly the past decade, Shackleford said, but has always been defeated.

“Kentucky has terrible grave desecration laws. That’s what it’s all about, changing that culture so they stop digging up our graves. In every other state in America you go to jail for digging up a burial mound,” he said.

CARRIE STAMBAUGH can be reached at cstambaugh@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION - F/T
Nights/Wknds required
Email resume to:
cindy@paramountartscenter.com
No phone calls please.
...>MORE

WELL TENDER
Part time, for gas wells near Inez. Exp. req’d. 304-416-3226....>MORE

LOAN OFFICER
Credit Union looking for someone with:
• Customer service exp.
• Ability to process loan
applications<
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Cars, RVs and Boats

TOYOTA/SCION TC FOR SALE
‘08, 1 owner, 36k mi., loaded, $12,000 firm. 465-3715. ...>MORE

MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT
2001, loaded, must see! $3,995. 606-232-6319...>MORE

WILDERNESS CAMPER
2001 28ft. 5th wheel, rebuilt title, $7,300. 473-9520 after 5...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Real Estate

GOLF COURSE FOR SALE
BUSINESS FOR SALE
Kentucky Golf Course
Serious inquiries only 606-232-1838 after 6pm
...>MORE

OHIO HOME FOR SALE
3 lg. BR, 1BA, formal LR/DR, FR w/FP, 5 ac. Move in! 740-894-8861. ...>MORE

GREENUP HOME FOR SALE
3 BR, new windows & metal roof, $32,000. 740-646-3491....>MORE

See all ads

Premium Deal of the Day

Saint Bernard Pups
AKC Shots & wormed, $400-$450. 606-474-4316....>MORE

WHITES METAL DETECTOR
DFX, Spectrum E Series, like new, $800. 928-6607....>MORE

FIREWOOD FOR SALE
1 Full Rick
Call 606-923-0717
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index